New York City Mayor Zohran Mamdani blasted the decision to increase the number of Immigration and Customs Enforcement officers headed to his city as the 2026 FIFA World Cup begins this week. He posted a comment on X on Monday afternoon, calling it “an attempt to divide us” before crediting immigrants as the reason soccer exists in the first place.

“Soccer would not exist without immigrants,” Mamdani said on X. “Immigrants play and coach the game, work in the stadiums, fill the stands, and make celebrations like the World Cup possible. Six of the players on the US Men’s National Team are immigrants.”

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